To Partake
by Sailor Panda
Summary: Ah, the many powers of ramen - able to vanquish hunger, sway a stubborn arguing hanyou...and sidetrack a great youkai lord! Is there nothing this dish can't do?
1. It's Magic!

AN: Inspired by the challenge to write a drabble involving Sesshoumaru, ramen, and Kagome in canon universe which was posted on the livejournal community – blurbs – by the lovely ff.net writer most of you know and love as Cassidy Jewell, this segment started out with the intent of being an itty-bitty drabble but turned out to be a little longer than that. Now it's being reposted since I've caved in to my muses and am turning this into a mini-series fic!  
  
It'll be short, only about 4 to 5 chapters long, but I just couldn't resist poking a little fun at the characters and Sesshoumaru in particular. Plus, it gives me a break from my more serious fics.  
  
Thanks for reading. =D  
  
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He came.  
  
He saw.  
  
He -  
  
- pondered...  
  
Having seen the passing of many seasons that had lasted beyond several lifetimes of a mortal's time in this world, he had been witness to many mysterious objects and events. With these encounters, his knowledge had increased and odd occurances to which he had become accustomed no longer held the same luster of mystery they might once have had. There was little he did not know or could not find an answer to.  
  
But this -  
  
This was something he could not explain.  
  
Thinking to try once more for the Tetsusaiga, he had ventured in search of the hanyou he wished he bore no relation to. Finding him and his mismatched travelling companions had been a simple enough task for a being of his superiority, so he had watched silently from him vantage point to observe their actions and determine how well their many would fair to his one. Their foolish actions and arguments would have set his mind at ease with regards to his victory.  
  
That is, if he had had any doubt of it in the first place.  
  
Which, of course, he didn't.  
  
Then, just when he was about to make his presence known in a manner that would most likely have been violent and bloody, something strange had suddenly happened among the bickering group. It was something he didn't understand, didn't have knowledge of.  
  
And a Sesshoumaru who did not have knowledge of something was not Sesshoumaru.  
  
And it was clearly she who held the answers.  
  
As he continued to observe, his goals changed as this new puzzle sought to be unraveled. For a puzzle it was as the miko with the odd clothes had immediately quieted the overly loud arguing amongst the group with one word, a word that sounded much like...  
  
'Ra-men.'  
  
What was this 'ra-men'? Some new magic?  
  
He deduced it must be some sort of enchantment or mystical ritual. Why else would the hanyou, monk, taijiya, and kitsune suddenly become so solemn as they abandoned their childish bickering to quickly gather around the miko as she knelt to pour water heated over the campfire into several strange containers he had never seen the likes of before.  
  
Then, as the miko seemed to cover the containers with some unusual material attatched to the rims, he carefully watched and observed the others' reactions. They, especially the hanyou who was practically leaning over the containers with ears pricked intently forward, seemed to vibrate with an nearly palatable eager tension as they waited, obviously on edge but apparently unwilling to go against the miko's directive to wait.  
  
It was clear that she was the one in charge of this ritual, she who remained calm in the face of it all even as the others shifted restlessly around her. She even quickly slapped away that hanyou's hand when he made a grab for the container.  
  
"It's not ready yet!" she admonished sternly.  
  
Yes, she was definitely the spellcaster, one who knew well the details of the preparation of whatever it was she was concocting. Truly, it must be a powerful magic she was brewing to inspire such eagerness in her companions who were obviously desiring to partake of it.  
  
And thus, he too determined to partake of it as well.  
  
Why should he not?  
  
He was, after all, the Great Lord of the Western Lands. And they were on his lands so, by rights, what was theirs was his.  
  
This 'ra-men' was his as well.  
  
He strode boldly forth. Part of him was aggravated that they, not even the hanyou whose senses were supposed to be superior than his human counterparts, were so intent upon the miko's strange containers that they did not seem to notice him until he was practically towering over them. The other part of him was gratified that he had decided to investigate this curiosity for their inattentiveness only proved that he was right about the power of this magical 'ra-men'-  
  
- a power he would make his own!  
  
It was the miko who noticed him first.  
  
Her gasp alerted the others who, after tearing their fixated attention away from the containers, glanced at him and then-  
  
- immediately scrambled away.  
  
Well, at least, most of them did.  
  
The miko remained kneeling, wide-eyed gaze fastened on him, while the hanyou immediately took up an aggressive defensive position in front of her -  
  
And the 'ra-men.'  
  
Two things happened at once.  
  
The hanyou drew the Tetsusaiga with an angry, "What the hell do you want?!" while the miko...  
  
Politely asked, "Umm...can we help you?"  
  
A frozen moment of shock descended before-  
  
"WHAAAAAT?!"  
  
The deafening exclamation that exploded from the various members of the group as they whirled towards the miko was almost enough to make him wince.  
  
Almost.  
  
Before the others could recover from their shock at the miko's words, he made his intentions known in a imperiously cool voice which said more than words that he would brook no refusal.  
  
"Ra-men. You will hand over its secrets."  
  
Another frozen moment and then -  
  
"Secrets?" they chimed with stupefied expressions.  
  
How irritating. They were attempting to play the idiots in order to keep the power of this 'ra-men' from him.  
  
He would not tolerate it!  
  
"Do not attempt to hide it from this Sesshoumaru. I will be given its magic. Or I will take it!"  
  
"Magic?" they all chorused once again.  
  
It was all becoming vastly annoying.  
  
And he was never one for patience.  
  
Just when he was about to be commit some act of violence to achieve his goal, the miko spoke while the others maintained their silent idiocy.  
  
"You...you think the ramen is...magic?"  
  
The miko's voice quivered strangely as he observed an odd twitching to her lips. No doubt, he concluded, she was trembling in fear of his impressive figure.  
  
"You will," he commanded authoritively, "give me the magic of this 'ra- men.'"  
  
The miko was not the only one who appeared befuddled at his pronouncement. Indeed, he noted that her other companions appeared similarly afflicted. No doubt, they too were affected by by his great presence and were quaking in terror. Even the hanyou, who looked utterly blank, appeared to unconciously lower the drawn sword in concession to his greatness, dropping his guard and his defense.  
  
What a fool.  
  
"Um..." Once again it was the miko who spoke. She delicately cleared her throat before saying, "Not to disappoint you or anything but...the ramen isn't...magic." She gave a weak smile. "It's food."  
  
"Do not take this Sesshoumaru for a buffoon!"  
  
"I'm not but-"  
  
"Do you think this Sesshoumaru has not seen the powerful effects of this 'ra-men'?" He gave the miko a contemptuous glare. "No mere food can have such power."  
  
"It is if it's good food!" the kitsune, hiding behind the monk, was brave enough to inject.  
  
"And if one happens to feel starved," the monk, a safe distance away, included wisely.  
  
The taijiya simply nodded her assent.  
  
"Tales!" he scoffed. "Do not attempt to feed this one such falsities."  
  
"They're not!" the miko exclaimed, glaring at him in obvious irritation that he found highly annoying. "It's the truth! We've been traveling for days and this is the first in a long while that we've been able to have time for a good rest and making a decent meal." She pointed a rude finger at him. "And since I'm the one who brought the ramen, I know better than anyone else that it is food!"  
  
"If you are the one who possesses full knowledge of its power, then you would be the one most likely to protest it."  
  
"Argh!" The miko threw her hands up with an odd rolling motion of her eyes. "You just won't believe anything we say! Fine, then." She gave him a determined look. "You'll just have to try it yourself and see that we're not lying!"  
  
The decision was simple. "Agreed."  
  
"WHAAAAT?!"  
  
The screeching, almost feminine, shriek had everyone regarding the hanyou with varying degrees of upset as he turned to the miko with an expression of pained outrage. Practically quivering with roiling emotion, he voiced his opinion on the matter to the best of his abilities. In short -  
  
He whined.  
  
"Kagome, you can't mean to give him my ramen!"  
  
"It's not your ramen, Inuyasha." Exasperation was in her tone as she eyed him with clear annoyance. "It's ours."  
  
"Feh! Whatever. But that doesn't mean that he can have any!"  
  
"Inuyasha," the miko said warningly. "Do you want me to say it?"  
  
Intrigued at the way the hanyou flicked a glance nervously between him and the miko, a human who clearly held the upper hand against one gifted with superior youkai blood, he was surprised when the argument subsided.  
  
Somewhat.  
  
Instead, the determined hanyou changed tactics. "He probably won't like it anyway. He hates anything to do with humans, including human food. So what's the use in giving him some when he's just going to waste it by throwing it away?"  
  
His eyes narrowed at the way the hanyou spoke as if knowing all about him. It was an affront to his person that he would have proceeded to deal with accordingly if the miko hadn't interrupted -  
  
By leaping to his defense.  
  
"Nothing's even happened yet!" Tone indicated her irritation with the hanyou. "How can you know he'd do something like that if he hasn't even tried it? And it's obvious that's why he's here so why not let him have some?"  
  
"Feh!" the hanyou snorted, not ready to part with one speck of the item in question. "What gives you the right to give it away anyway, huh? Who made you in charge of the ramen?"  
  
"I'm the one who brought it!" The miko was incensed. "If it wasn't for me, you'd never have had any in the first place!" A particularly frightening expression, one that made the others visibly nervous, took hold of her features as she glared at the hanyou. "Understand?"  
  
The hanyou's ears drooped as he slowly backed away before, realizing what he was doing, he stopped. Though most of his previous aggression was lacking in his voice, his displeasure was certainly felt.  
  
"Well, he can't have my share!"  
  
"Of course." The miko was irked. "I'm sure none of us expected such an unselfish gesture on your part."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"And as long as none of the others object..."  
  
They shook their heads vigorously.  
  
"...then it shouldn't be a problem. And it isn't," she pinned the hanyou with another hard look, "is there?"  
  
The hanyou backed away a little more, stopped, crossed his arms, turned away and -  
  
- proceeded to sulk.  
  
"Feh! Whatever!"  
  
"Here," she ignored the hanyou. "You can have my portion. I can just make more later own."  
  
He watched intently as, from her kneeling position, she offered him one of the odd cups along with a pair of chopsticks. Graciously, he deigned to accept. No thanks were said.  
  
It was his right after all.  
  
"Go ahead," the miko instructed with a friendly smile, "it's ready."  
  
"WHAAAAT?!"  
  
The loud shriek once again elicited annoyed stares aimed at the angry hanyou. But the hanyou had eyes for no one but the miko -  
  
And the 'ra-men.'  
  
"Why didn't you say that sooner!" the hanyou ranted. "You -"  
  
"Inuyasha..." the miko warned.  
  
He flinched.  
  
"Here." She held up another container. "Now which do you want? To fight? Or," she waved the item temptingly, "this?"  
  
With hidden amusement, he watched as the hanyou's eyes flicked rapidly between the the miko, the 'ra-men,' and him.  
  
The 'ra-men' won.  
  
With a disgruntled "Feh!" the hanyou was no more than a quick red blur as he snatched the container from the miko's hand and -  
  
Disappeared into a nearby tree.  
  
The miko shook her head before refocusing her attention on where it should have been all along.  
  
On him.  
  
As he stared at her with an intensity she couldn't possibly ignore, she gave him a quizzical smile as she questioned, "Aren't you going to try it?"  
  
He continued to stare.  
  
She fidgeted. "What?"  
  
Stare.  
  
"Umm..."  
  
Stare.  
  
Flinch.  
  
Stare.  
  
"Ah." She bit her lip, then offered hesitantly, "Just lift up the top and eat what's inside?"  
  
He did.  
  
Expecting a powerful spell or some sacred object, at the very least, he opened the flap and found -  
  
Noodles.  
  
Just as the miko and hanyou had said, it was human food, it was noodles and soup, it was -  
  
- giving off a delicious aroma.  
  
Entranced, wielding the utensils she'd given him, he slowly lifted...  
  
Curiously sniffed...  
  
Delicately tasted...  
  
...then proceeded to DEVOUR!  
  
When he was done, he ignored the shocked faces around him and the color of glinting gold peering from a tree above. No, there was only one thing that interested him now.  
  
His gaze fell on the remaining containers.  
  
"Uh-oh," a childish voice whispered from behind monk's robes and summed up the situation quite neatly. "I think we're going to have to give up our shares too..." 


	2. Whose Ramen?

AN: Hugs and kisses to all my lovely reviewers who helped assuage my low confidence in being able to write something like this. Now, I only hope this chapter lives up to everyone's expectations.  
  
I've gone back to being undecided about adding perhaps one more extra chapter to this or leaving it as is for fear of ruining it by continuing this further. Heh, maybe I shouldn't have even written this one! Mainly because I haven't been feeling funny enough to write something like this so I can only hope that you all find it suitably humorous. Any suggestions and feedback is much appreciated – so thanks in advance and enjoy!  
  
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The clearing was still, the figures within it existing in frozen motionless as silence reigned around them. That is, silent but for the gentle sounds of -  
  
Slurp.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Sluuuuuurrrrrrp.  
  
It was an impossibly unbelievable sight.  
  
Horrible.  
  
Shocking.  
  
It was a scene that no living being should be witness to for fear of thinking that the world had gone mad. But for the observers in this little drama that was unfolding, they had no choice but to stare in silent horror as they bore witness to the sight of –  
  
The great Sesshoumaru demolishing the last of their scanty supply of ramen.  
  
For them, perhaps one container might not have been enough for a hungry appetite brought on by days of grueling travel and shard hunting. And two would certainly have been satisfying and most filling to their bellies. Three would have been testing the limits of the capacity of what their stomachs could comfortably hold. But four...  
  
For them, such a thing could only have resulted in...well, a regurgitated mess.  
  
But Sesshoumaru, it seemed, was a different story.  
  
It was almost like the nonexistent magic he'd accused them of withholding from him. One after another he consumed the contents of the odd containers with a surprising gusto that they would never, until this moment, have credited him with demonstrating and with no visible signs of ill effects.  
  
Or stopping.  
  
And the onlookers could only come to two theories as to why and how this could possibly be as he accomplished a feat that they would be in agony after attempting. Either his youkai abilities allowed his stomach amazing recuperative powers in terms of digestion or –  
  
Perhaps, like an ant, he possessed more than one stomach.  
  
There was no other logical explanation.  
  
And up above, gold peered in wide-eyed morbid fascination from leafy green. Frozen stock-still, ramen cup forgotten in one clenched claw, one hanyou as he witnessed the scene taking place below him could do absolutely nothing-  
  
Except gape.  
  
Mouth flapping open like a landed fish, something wanted to be said but it was impossible to make any sound. Skin crawled while every hair on his body prickled as the hanyou felt ominous foreboding settling upon him at the horrible sight that played out before his eyes, one he never in a million years thought he'd see.  
  
His arrogant I-turn-my-nose-up-at-anything-you-have brother was, was –  
  
-was eating HIS ramen!  
  
It was too impossible to believe. He was seeing it and he still didn't believe it. It was hard to connect the image of an always cool and collected brother from his memories to the ramen stealing devourer below. His aristocratic icy relation was acting like – like –  
  
Like HIM!  
  
With a sour expression and something akin to desolate despair welling within him, he watched as the great and mighty Sesshoumaru devoured the last bite left down below. It was a sad, dark day indeed. No matter how much the sun shone on this cloudless day, a severe pall was cast for his beloved food was vanishing into his despised relation who, no matter what breeding he claimed to have, couldn't possibly appreciate the culinary wonder with the same depth that HE did.  
  
Damnit!  
  
He knew he should have stolen all of the ramen sooner!  
  
Oh, no doubt he would have earned a hundred 'sit' commands for his effort, despite his noble intentions, and his back would certainly have killed him for a week. But it would have been worth it in the end. Because...because –  
  
At least then, he would have actually HAD the ramen!  
  
The ramen that should have been rightfully his in the first place!  
  
HIS ramen!  
  
That his brother had stolen from him!  
  
But no matter how much he blamed himself for not swiping his beloved ramen earlier, it was too late now. His precious ramen was gone, residing within the very one who had been the bane of his existence ever since he could remember until the great lord passed it out of his system. And after that...  
  
Well, he didn't really want it back after THAT.  
  
Feh.  
  
Shuddering at the gruesome image that invoked, he blinked in sudden surprise as he was shaken from his thoughts. Glancing around, his eyes searched the clearing but to no avail.  
  
Where did he go?  
  
No sooner had that last thought formed than a flash of paleness caught his eye, drew his attention, and suddenly he found himself staring -  
  
Into silver and gold.  
  
He almost toppled out of the tree.  
  
The surprise of his brother's appearance before him nearly had him leaping back, a mere fragile barrier of leaves the only thing separating them while an expressionless golden gaze, on eye-level with his, bored into him. As it was he swayed precariously for a moment before he dug a clawed hand into the wooden branch on which he rested within the tree to steady himself, never taking his wary eyes off of his ramen-stealing opponent who hovered in the air near his perch.  
  
Gold to gold, gazes locked and held as one tried to decipher the thoughts behind eyes of the other, unwilling to look away.  
  
Stare.  
  
Stare.  
  
Stare.  
  
Stare.  
  
Sta-  
  
NO! No, no, no, no, NOOOOO!!!  
  
His clutch tightened convulsively, protectively, around his still untouched cup of ramen. He drew it closer to his body, his other clawed hand coming up to join its companion in a possessive grip, trying to hide it against his side as if that could shield it from the hungry enemy. His eyes narrowed in a vicious glare while a warning growl rumbled its way from his throat as he staked his claim.  
  
It was a dangerous undertaking, he knew. Perhaps even the most dangerous thing he'd ever done out of all of his previous encounters with past enemies, whose defeat seemed almost easy in comparison to the hardship he had a feeling this would be, but –  
  
He was NOT going to let Sesshoumaru have HIS ramen!  
  
He'd rather die!  
  
Meanwhile, back on a less ramen-crazed earth...  
  
"I have an ominous feeling," a voice commented sagely, "that this will not end well."  
  
THWACK!  
  
"And how did you ever come to that conclusion," responded a saccharine sweet voice as Hiraikotsu was settled back to rest on the ground, "Houshi- sama?"  
  
"Ah, Sango-sama, you wound me," was the mournfully sighed reply as Miroku rubbed his aching head. "And quite hard too."  
  
The observing kitsune merely shook his head over their antics as he turned to the figure beside him. He tapped her on the leg to get her attention while casting an uneasy eye towards the levitating taiyoukai whose complete focus seemed to be centered within the leaves of the tree.  
  
For now.  
  
It was the later that worried him.  
  
"Kagome?" He manfully tried to control the trembling quiver in his voice. "Shouldn't we be running away now while we have the chance?"  
  
"Yes, I quite agree," commented the monk still rubbing his head. "As hungry as this humble one is, I'm not quite ready to see the Buddha in person over a squabble for your ramen."  
  
The kitsune snorted. "You think you'd ever be able to achieve seeing Buddha? With the way you act?"  
  
Miroku's smile made the kitsune flinch. "What was that, Shippou?"  
  
"N-nothing!"  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"Now, you two. This isn't the time for that," Kagome broke in. She tilted her head in the taiyoukai's direction. "I think we've got bigger things to worry about."  
  
"Kagome-chan's right," Sango said with a worried expression. "We don't know how long he's going to be preoccupied."  
  
"But he already ate all the ramen!" Shippou cried. "What else is left?"  
  
"Whatever it is that first brought him here," Miroku replied thoughtfully. "And that would no doubt be-"  
  
"The Tetsusaiga," Kagome finished with a sigh. "What is it with inu-youkai and their fetish for big swords?"  
  
"Well, at least he was distracted from his plan," Sango commented.  
  
"Yeah." Shippou pouted. "With our ramen!"  
  
"Careful, Shippou-chan," Kagome chided with a smile. "You're starting to turn into Inuyasha."  
  
The kisune's expression was horrified.  
  
"Kagome-sama, you shouldn't make such comments," Miroku advised. "You'll give him nightmares."  
  
"I heard that!" came an angry yell from up above. "Just wait until this is over Miroku, then we're going to talk!"  
  
Miroku winced and patted his clothes, relieved to feel that he still had a good supply of ofuda left, and called out to the hanyou "Just try not to die until then!"  
  
THWACK!  
  
"Sango-sama!" Miroku cried as he rubbed his throbbing head. "I was only trying to be encouraging."  
  
"Hmph!" The Hiraikotsu resettled back in place. "Kagome-chan, do you think we should help?"  
  
"How?" Kagome asked doubtfully, still staring at the taiyoukai. "Against him, we can't do much. And, for the most part, Inuyasha's always been able to stand up to him on his own. We wouldn't stand a chance against him if he decides to turn his attention our way. And the only thing I've ever seen deter him from his goal so far is ramen and he's already eaten most of it and-"  
  
There was a pale blur that vanished into a sea of leafy green.  
  
"-I think he's going after the last of it," she finished worriedly.  
  
From the ground, the onlookers couldn't see anything but flashes of color, white and red, between the green leaves of the tree. They could, however, hear. And what they heard...  
  
Were they children? Were they adults?  
  
From their vantage point on the ground as they observed the interaction with their ears, it was hard to say.  
  
"Damn you, you pretty boy bastard!" a voice rang out from the tree in an enraged snarl. "You've already had more than enough! So go away or I'll-"  
  
Leaves rustled, a branch creaked, a growl rolled through the air.  
  
"NO!" was the frantic yell. "My ramen, MINE! MINE!"  
  
More violent rustling, more creaking, more growling, the tree seemed to sway alarmingly and then –  
  
CRACK!  
  
A blur of red dropped out of the green to –  
  
THUD!  
  
-impact with the earth in what sounded like a very hard landing. The onlookers rushed closer to the point of impact and, as the pile of red splashed on the ground shifted and let loose with a pained moan, from up above came the familiar sounds of –  
  
Slurp.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Sluuuuuurrrrrrp.  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered urgently at the red heap as she cast a wary eye up above. She didn't know how long the taiyoukai would be preoccupied but, judging from how quickly he'd devoured the previous batches of ramen, she didn't think it would be for long. Conscious of their limited time, she asked, "Are you alright?"  
  
A pained moan was the response.  
  
She winced in sympathy. "Can you move?"  
  
There was another groan as the pile of red shifted, knocking away the broken branch that had fallen across him. The figure in red shifted, sitting up stiffly, pale hair sticking up in odd places and riddled with twigs with an agonized expression painted across his features marred with several rows of bleeding claw marks.  
  
"Does it really hurt so much?" Kagome asked worriedly.  
  
"Of course it hurts!" Gold eyes flickered to her angrily. "I'm hungry!"  
  
A rumbling growl filled the air, echoed by several more around her.  
  
"So I see," Kagome murmured in exasperation as she took note of the embarrassed faces around her.  
  
"And now there's nothing left to eat because," gold eyes glared up into the tree, "HE stole it all!"  
  
As if mocking the hanyou's words, the reply that filtered down from amongst the leaves above was –  
  
Slurp.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Sluuuuuurrrrrrp.  
  
A strangled inarticulate sound crawled from the hanyou's throat as he bounded to his feet, claws curled. His lips were drawn back in a snarl, gold eyes glinting with rage and promising retribution as coiled muscles tensed and then sprang-  
  
"SIT!"  
  
THUD!  
  
- and a red blur immediately renewed its acquaintance with the earth.  
  
"KAGOME! Why the hell did you do that, you b-?!"  
  
"Inuyasha, calm down. This isn't something you should try getting yourself killed over. It's just ramen."  
  
"MY ramen!"  
  
"OUR ramen. Don't forget who brought it."  
  
"Who cares about that?! What's important is that it's gone now and I didn't get to eat any because HE stole it!"  
  
"Inuya-"  
  
"I'll show him!" He bounded to his feet and leapt up. "I'll teach him, that -"  
  
"SIT!"  
  
THUD!  
  
"Kagome, you b-!"  
  
"SIT!"  
  
THUD!  
  
"I can do this all day and not get tired, you know," Kagome reminded him warningly before he could open his mouth to voice another protest. "You on the other hand..."  
  
Predictably, the hanyou fell silent.  
  
Kagome sighed in relief and then paused. Aware of the danger in their still precarious situation she tilted her head as she tried to detect the familiar sounds of –  
  
Slurp.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Sluuuuuurrrrrrp.  
  
- reassuring preoccupation.  
  
Taking advantage of the moment, Kagome urged, "Let's hurry up and get out of here before he finishes eating, Inuyasha."  
  
"Yeah, I don't want to die!" piped Shippou. His tummy gave a rumble. "Even if I am still hungry."  
  
"But-"  
  
"We can always buy more food, Inuyasha," Sango interjected reasonably.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Or," added Miroku, "I could always...charm it from-"  
  
THWACK!  
  
"Sango-sama!"  
  
"Quiet, Houshi-sama."  
  
Inuyasha growled. "Look, I don't care what you have to say! He can't be allowed to get away with it – taking the last of MY ramen. I'm pissed off, hungry and-"  
  
"I can bring back a whole backpack full of ramen."  
  
Immediately, all attention focused on Kagome.  
  
"For you, Inuyasha," she tempted him. "Just forget about Sesshoumaru and we'll all leave right now and then I'll bring you back an entire backpack chock-full with all kinds of flavors of ramen – just for you."  
  
She held her breath.  
  
Inuyasha drooled.  
  
Several stomachs rumbled.  
  
And from somewhere up above them-  
  
-the slurping stopped.  
  
An ominous stillness overtook the clearing, the occupants in it feeling a sudden foreboding chill. Nervously, as one, they all looked up-  
  
SWOOSH!  
  
-only to have a pale blur drop down into their midst!  
  
The ensuing reaction was immediate as the once still clearing became a home to frantic motion. It took only an instant, but within the time span of an eye blink-  
  
Hiraikotsu was readied-  
  
Kazaana was prepared-  
  
Tetsusaiga was drawn and –  
  
A kitsune whimpered. "K-Kagome!"  
  
Said person was frozen in dismay before the taiyoukai standing in front of her a mere arm's length away, his unwavering gaze fixated upon her as he appeared to be wholly unconcerned with the battle preparations of the others around them. No, all of his attention appeared to be completely focused on her.  
  
Lucky, lucky her.  
  
Then he spoke, expressionless words that fell in aristocratic bites from pale lips and gave proof to their earlier foreboding chill. They were words that changed everything and set the tone of what was to come. The enemy who had, for the most part, been content to ignore them until their paths crossed made it now known that the same would not hold true from this point on with a simple phrase that revealed a new and – for them – most unwanted interest as his coldly voiced words hung in the air before them.  
  
"You are able to obtain more of this ra-men, yes?"  
  
Unable to say a word and unable to voice a lie with that golden gaze boring into her, she could nod in assent. And in response –  
  
Sesshoumaru smiled.  
  
Everyone else shuddered.  
  
And the forest echoed and shook with the resounding force of an anguished cry.  
  
"NOOOOO! MY RAMEEEEEEEN!" 


End file.
